


A Hand to Hold in the Dark

by AngelBabi (Virus_Tripped)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Aftercare, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BOTW Zelda is a bitch, Bazz knows, Canon Divergence, Depression, Dominant Prince Sidon, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Light BDSM, M/M, One-sided Link/Zelda - Freeform, Past Rape/Non-con, Post Game fic, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Prince Sidon, Recovery, Repressed Memories, Separation Anxiety, Slow Burn, Submissive Link, Talking Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virus_Tripped/pseuds/AngelBabi
Summary: After the Calamity Ganon has fallen, Princess Zelda has been rescued and Hyrule begins to recover, it’s time for Link to recover too.He’s gone through so much, maybe a certain Prince can help him feel safe again.Heavy TW This is a story about recovery from C-PTSD and S*xual Assault, there will be some explicit and not so explicit descriptions throughout, please treat yourself with care when reading x
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon, Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Paya/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	A Hand to Hold in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Not me shirking my responsibilities to post fanfiction.. couldn’t be me

Soft winds ruffled the champions hair as he bowed low to the ground. His breathing was ragged and shallow. Calamity Ganon had finally been defeated, and the small hero was feeling the aftermath of the battle. A small hand squeezed his shoulder and he glanced up at her. Golden hair matted and caked with dirt, clothing stained and torn. Gentle blue eyes crinkling as her smile grew. Even the dirt couldn’t hide the happiness spilling off of her. Link looked down at the soft grass at his feet. Guilt washed over him whenever his gaze lingered on the Princess too long. Her voice felt distant, faded like a memory, when she spoke to him. Her touch unwelcome but so gentle.  
Link sighed as they walked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. During his journey he had tried to regain as many memories as he could, but the ones he did left gaps. Massive gaps begging more questions than giving answers. Every memory he had of Zelda felt like there had been animosity, perhaps hostility, growing between them. He tried desperately to awaken even one more memory, something to tie them together but to no avail. He was left with a sinking churning feeling in his stomach. As they walked away from the castle, Link was in a daze, his thoughts muddled. The occasional guardian no challenge for Zelda’s powers now. 

As the sun began to set, they stopped to make camp at the edge of a wooded area near a small pool. Link started a campfire while Zelda had what was probably her first bath in over one hundred years. His ears perked up as he heard her enter the water, he dared not move. He instead focused on preparing a meal for them. Mushrooms, chunks of fish and meats were gently skewered and positioned around the campfire. The small Hylian’s eyes watched the flames as they licked the sides of the skewers as if looking away would cause disaster. He wrapped his arms around himself and chewed on his lip. Thoughts raced around in his mind, struggling to make sense of his feelings. The sinking feeling in his gut growing stronger the more he tried to remember things. 

Zelda returned, practically glowing after a long bath. Link didn’t look up when she sat beside him and she looked at him concerned. She knew in the past her treatment of the man had not been close to good enough, and she’d had a long time to think about how to reconcile with him. The question was, did he want to do that now? It seemed as if he had recovered enough memories of their relationship to understand the tension between the two but just how much did he remember now? She braided her hair mindlessly as she tried to stop overthinking. Everything would be okay, she just needed to let him make the first move now.  
Discarded skewers were thrown back into the campfire as the pair settled in for the night, Link providing a cape for Zelda to wrap herself in as she slept. Small snores tickled his ear as sleep escaped him. He wondered when the last time Zelda slept had been. Sitting up, he watched the embers of the fading fire glow against the dark of night. For the first time in forever he needn’t worry about a blood moon, but he still gripped his sheikah slate tightly. 

Dawn broke across the tree line and Link started awake. He must’ve dozed off in the end. Muscles aching from sleeping cross legged and his neck stiff, he stood and stretched. Zelda was stoking the fire next to him, fish roasting over a bed of korok leaves. She was crafty, he’d give her that. The two ate in silence, and soon continued their journey towards Kakariko village. Impa was their first stop before heading onto Hateno village, and Link was silently praying that they would part ways here. He quietly explained the state of Hyrule to Zelda as they walked, and she listened attentively, asking small questions occasionally. As the conversation flowed Link noticed Zelda occasionally quip herself short of speaking, and he wondered what it is she couldn’t say. They approached a small clearing and series of pools, and decided to stop for lunch. He watched as the princess observed the hot-footed frogs darting through the grass nearby. Feelings of guilt and anxiety threatened to bubble up his throat and he cleared it, fighting the emotions. It was this slight sound that pulled Zelda from her fascination. She turned to Link and had a strange look on her face. He tried and failed to understand what it was she could be feeling. 

“Link.. I- I know not what memories you have recovered, but- that is to say, you remember me don’t you..?” Link was confused, of course he remembered her, they had already spoken about this. Was there something else she was expecting him to remember? Or something she wasn’t..? She moved closer to him and smiled, “I must sound so silly, we’ve already talked about this all and you must be overwhelmed as it is. Forgive me Link..” That last part made Link feel strangely uncomfortable. He shook it off and looked her in the eyes, his usual stoic expression plastered to his small face. “We are both exhausted and overwhelmed, it’s been a long fight and we both need rest. These things can surely wait”. Zelda smiled bright, eyes closed and nodded. The tension in the air was lighter, but still hovering over them like a summer cloud. 

Kakariko Village proved to be in the midst of heavy festivities when the pair arrived late that night. They parted ways, as Impa spoke privately to the princess, and Link was heavily appreciative of the alone time. Dodging people rushing to him in praise, he made his way to the fairy fountain. He needed some quiet time and no place was quieter than one of these oases. He sat on the edge dangling his feet in the water, feeling his aches fade away. His thoughts fell on Zelda, and that strange expression she had made earlier that day. Her strange tone rang in his ears still, stinging him. He must have heard those words before, it was a sickening sense of déjà vu. Something tugged at his mind, an image trying desperately to surface but Link pushed it away. A feeling of ‘not now’ hit him heavy all at once and he decided there must be reasons for this. He would come back to that one. 

The next day a pair of horses saddled with extra equipment were waiting for Link and Zelda at the exit of the village. Paya showed them to their steeds and Link noticed a small bruise on her arm that looked mildly finger sized. He missed the lingering stare she shot at Zelda as they rode off towards Hateno village. It took him longer still to notice there was something different about Zelda that morning. Her garb was Sheikah, somewhat similar to that of Paya and Impa, but that wasn’t it. Suddenly he noticed it, “y-you cut your hair??” his eyes wide. Zelda looked surprised and laughed awkwardly, “I decided late last night, it was quite damaged, Paya helped me do it.. What do you think?”  
Link nodded to himself, it made sense, 100 years of battle would do that to hair. “It’s good, suits you”. The rest of the day was spent in relative silence, broken slightly during lunch with odd small talk about Hateno and Purah. The horses that had been provided to them were truly magnificent. Link had decided to name his Birdie, as she was fast and fairly quiet. A reliable steed. Zelda seemed to be having some difficulty with hers, but he knew from memory she had never quite taken to them as he had. Her steed was a little slower which he was thankful for, as a faster horse may have thrown her off.

As the day dragged on the princess seemed to be getting along better with her steed and he smiled to himself. He felt it odd to be appreciating this time with Zelda, and that feeling all the more odd. Since they had met after Calamity Ganon’s defeat, he had felt but not understood the animosity between them. There was tension, but he knew not why he felt resentment toward her. Whenever he thought to bring it up, it was as if Zelda sensed this and actively avoided the conversation, talking about anything else instead. Hateno slowly morphed into shape in the distance, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Finally they might part ways. “What will you do from here?” The silence finally broken, but the words he had been thinking were spoken not from his mouth. He whipped his head in Zelda’s direction. “What will I do?”, Zelda nodded. “The world has changed, and I am not exactly Queen of a flourishing society now am I?” Her tone playful but somewhat melancholy. Link thought perhaps the princess felt lost since both her roles in life had either been fulfilled or cut short. There hadn’t been established rule among the Hylian realm in a century. “I suppose what I mean is, a princess in name only does not require a personal guard, and I wonder whether you grow tired of your endless heroism”. Link was truly shocked. No one had ever cared to know what Link wanted deep down. It was always assumed he was a selfless hero who only thought of duty and had no personal desires. Yet here was someone he barely even knew, asking him these things. Someone his body seemed intent on rejecting. 

“I-I guess I will return home.. I’m so tired” he heaved a deep sigh and felt a strong wave of emotions rush through him. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he barely noticed the small hand stroking his hair as he silently sobbed. Zelda cooed at him and watched him cry, soothing yet meaningless words falling softly from her lips. He felt his head fall against her shoulder, his horse moving slightly beneath him. He couldn’t tell how long he cried for, but the sky overhead was liquid black when his sobs finally subsided. He couldn’t face Zelda after this, and they spoke not a word as they traveled the small distance to Hateno Village.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ll probably be coming back to the earlier chapters at a later date and fine tuning them some more so there may be some slight changes over time. Still in the beta stages I guess?


End file.
